[Profile] Takram Masato Nomiyama Creative Technologist / Technical Artist Based on the theme of "sensitivity x engineering", he works while going back and forth between practicality and symbolism, from service design to media art production. By observing the subtleties of the mind and the principles of human behavior, he creates forms that work on emotions, engineering elusive sensibilities. We realize designs that enrich our lives with the driving force of “sensitivity x engineering”. In 2018, completed the Graduate School of the University of Tokyo (Intelligent Mechano-Informatics). Joined Takram in the same year.
Contents ・Open information sharing that draws out individual independence ・Use of databases to promote the structuring of “knowledge” ・My own task management page “Dashboard” ・Create connections with members “Members” Page” ・There is no mechanism to complete from the beginning
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Takram utilizes Notion for information sharing and project management.
In information sharing, information that the organization wants to stock, such as Takram's culture, member introductions, tips on how to work, and financial data, is published to members.
On the other hand, in project management, by combining several databases, we aim to streamline the management of tasks and documents and at the same time structure knowledge across projects.
I will introduce how information sharing and project management are done, one by one, while showing the actual screen.
First of all, I would like to pick up some main items from the "People & Organization" page, which summarizes information about members and organizations.
■ How We Work... A place to get tips on how to work
"How We Work" shares a variety of helpful tips for work. From how to use equipment and software to guidelines for taking paid leave and expense reimbursement. If you have any trouble, "How do I do this?", You can access the necessary information from this page.
For example, the "How We Notion" page details how we got started with Notion and tips on how to get the most out of it. As new members come in, this page will help them get started using Notion correctly. This proactive document creation and asynchronous information sharing improves organizational performance.
Also, Takram has bases in Tokyo, London, and New York, so he basically writes documents in both Japanese and English. In many cases, I create documents in my native language, translate them with DeepL, and share information with native English members. The point is to lower the hurdles of information sharing without spending time and effort.
■ Open Book... A place to learn management indicators and financial data
In Takram, based on the "Open Book Policy", the organization's management indicators and financial data are open to all members. Notion's "Open Book" contains explanatory documents on these management indicators and financial data. By sharing information so that members can read and understand management indicators and financial data on their own, we are creating an environment where they can think and make decisions on their own, such as whether the investment in a project is correct.
In this way, Takram values the transparency of information. By sharing the information necessary for decision-making throughout the organization, each member will be able to act with independence. If there is an information gap between members, there will be a lack of materials for decision-making, and it may become impossible to make a decision without waiting for someone's instructions. In order to create a flat organization and culture, we believe that it is important to create a state where everyone can access information.
■ Curiosity...A place to share each member's interests
It's not directly related to work, but we loosely share each member's interests.
For example, "Eats, Drink, Present". I'm sharing the shops that I'm glad I went to for lunch, the launch place, and the recommended gifts.
In addition, "Bookshelf" where you can see a list of books purchased by members. Takram has a system called "Book Purchase" to fully back up the learning of members, and you can freely purchase books.
Books purchased with "Book Purchase" have a flow to apply with Google Form, and when you apply, who bought what book and for what reason will be shared with Takram's Slack. Slack is useful for seeing members' interests in real time, but it flows in the flow information, so we linked it with API so that it can be stocked on Notion as well.
Since it visualizes who is reading what kind of book, it is very interesting just to look at it. If you buy this book yourself, it will lead to encounters with new books.
By the way, we also use the Bookshelf view to create rankings for books that have been purchased. You can see the ranking of the most bought books in total and monthly.
At Takram, all projects are managed in "Projects" so that all members can access them.
Projects are the result of each member's activities and are important elements that make up the outline of Takram. By sharing projects among members on a daily basis, we are deepening our understanding of each other's activities.
All documents shared on Notion, including project management, utilize a "relational database," which is one of Notion's major features. Multiple databases can be related to each other to create links of information.
Until now, documents were created in a tree structure, but the effective use of relational databases has advanced the structuring of knowledge. “Knowledge (learning)” that tends to be closed within projects and individuals has been sublimated into open “knowledge” that can be utilized by other projects and members.
In addition, by using a relational database, it is possible to avoid the situation where information is duplicated and becomes obsolete. We also value the "Single Source of Truth" referred to in the field of information systems, and always try to create a state where there is only one latest information.
There is a uniform template on the project page, and when you start a new project, you can create a project page immediately by pressing the "New" button.
Here is the project template. In order for members who are not involved in the project to catch up on the details of the project, I would like to introduce some parts of the template that I am particular about.
■ Gallery... A place to share project images
In the "Gallery", images related to the project will be posted by the members. For UI/UX projects, UI screens are pasted, and for product design projects, product photos and rough sketches are drawn.
It is a place where members who are not involved in the project can see the results and processes of the project when they visit.
■ Overview... A place to share project knowledge
Overview is a place to share project knowledge with other members. This is where project kick-off and review meeting notes are compiled.
Notes, especially those used in kickoffs and reviews, contain important information and knowledge about the project. It is also effective as a tool for communicating the project to other members, so it is cut out in an easy-to-access place as "Overview".
There is a uniform template in Takram for kick-off and review meeting notes. Since the guide for use is also written, you can record without omission what to write where.
Review template
The database "Method & Approach" records the unique methods and approaches used in the project.
This "Method & Approach" database will be used across all projects. Therefore, by making good use of the view function of the database, it is possible to easily check precedents from all the projects that have been done in the past.
For example, if you filter by team communication, you can access a list of team communication know-how that has been practiced in various projects.
There is also another category called "Risk Hedging". Based on the experience of past incidents and near misses that occurred at Takram, you can list the methods and approaches that should be suppressed to avoid risks.
At Takram, we value crossing borders between different fields as well as delving deeper into a specific area of expertise. In order to actively cross borders into different fields, we not only share knowledge through databases, but also hold project sharing meetings once a month with all members. (Currently conducted online)
Since there are many projects in progress at the same time, at the project sharing meeting, we will choose one project that interests us and listen to the presentation. For other projects that I couldn't listen to, presentation materials and recorded videos will be uploaded to Notion, so you can catch up later.
Especially since remote work became the main focus due to the corona sickness, I began to emphasize "asynchronous communication" in addition to face-to-face meetings. Recently, Takram is also popular for sharing “raw boiled recordings” where you can comment on ideas that you came up with on your own.
■ Tagrid … A place where you can search for projects from various angles
There is a new database view that has recently been created related to the project. A database view called "Tagrid", where you can list projects in various ways.
What kind of projects has Takram been involved in recently, and what kind of UI/UX projects have you had in the past? Select the appropriate category to view the list. When you're stuck on a project you're working on, Tagrid gives you access to nearby projects and helpful hints.
Using the fact that each database in Notion is associated with a member, you can create your own task management page "Dashboard" with the database filter function. is operating.
Since you can manage tasks across multiple projects and summarize the minutes you used most recently, you no longer need to manage tasks with another tool.
I spend about 10 minutes looking at this dashboard every morning to see if there are any tasks I haven't digested or tasks that are too granular.
Each page of Takram's member database contains a member's self-introduction. By publishing all the projects and outputs that I have been involved in, other members can see my skills and experience at a glance.
In the self-introduction page, there is also an item called "Dream Project" where you can write your dreams, such as "I want to challenge this kind of work from now on!". By writing “what you can do” and “what you want to do” as an individual in a place where all members can access, it will also lead to opportunities to be called out for projects. I would like to create an environment where I can share my interests and goals with the members, deepen mutual understanding within the team, and demonstrate high performance.
So far, I have told you various ways to use Notion in Takram, but it wasn't the way it is from the beginning. I want to use Notion in my team from now on! For those who say, I recommend that you start using Notion from the most commonly created documents. Minutes, task management. By starting with items that are used frequently, you should gradually get used to them and permeate the team.
I think it's important to start small, saying that there is no system to complete from the beginning. No matter how much we think and design, we will not know the issues and needs until we actually use it. Try it out with a small group first and get feedback. Discuss it with your team and fix it. I think that by repeating this process and updating it more and more, we will be able to find a way to use it that fits the team better.
(end)
Interview / Text = Ai Nomura